Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm/Monday-Saturday Closed-Seasonal please check the website
Admission: Free but donations are accepted
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Potter’s Tavern in Downtown Bridgeton, NJ
The historic sign that welcomes you
The Greeting Room at the entrance of the tavern
I finally got into the Potter’s Tavern Historical site one weekend that I was in South Jersey and it is a fascinating look at how a building and its location and purpose changed the outlook of the Revolutionary War and how we almost loss it to neglect.
The Tavern tour leads into several rooms. When you enter the building, you enter the Greeting Room or the main foyer where guests would arrive at the Tavern for the evening. To the right of the room is the main tavern where the bar was located, where issues of the day would have been debated.
The Tavern area by the main entrance
Down the stairs leads to the kitchen and to where the hearth for cooking would have been done. This was the interesting part of the tour as this had been covered up when this became a home. The hearth really shows the efforts that were made in cooking during the period.
The upstairs rooms had been decorated for overnight stays. I am not sure if they would have been this nicely decorated but Bridgeton was in an isolated area at the time and coming here by carriage must have taken several days by carriage or stage coach, so spending the night was a good idea.
The tour did not take that long as the building is small but its ties to the American Revolution is what makes it so fascinating. Its role in the war and as a meeting place that may have turned the tides of the war is what makes such a interesting place to visit.
Artifacts on the second floor
A Map of Old Bridgeton, NJ
A map of the City of Bridgeton, NJ
The History of Potter’s Tavern:
(From the Cumberland County Website)
Cohansey Bridge, the village which would become Bridgetown in 1765 and eventually Bridgeton, was a small community of less than 150 residents in the early 1700s. Cohansey Bridge was home to several taverns, which back then were places for more than food and drink. They were the social hotspots of town, the place where residents could learn about the latest local news and where travelers would pass on news from other communities. Matthew Potter, born in 1734 in Ireland, moved to Connecticut in 1740 with his mother, father and two brothers. The family soon moved to Philadelphia and not long thereafter, Matthew and his brother David moved to Cohansey Bridge where Matthew set up a blacksmith shop and tavern.
The Potter family tree in the museum
Matthew Potter’s tavern, which also served as his home, was built around 1767 and located on the north side of Broad Street. Constructed in a “salt box” design, with two stories in the front and only one in the rear with a long sloping rear roof, the tavern catered to mostly young gentlemen doing business at the courthouse, which was directly across the street.
The ‘Salt Box’ designed Potter’s Tavern
In December 1775 a weekly hand-written newspaper started appearing in Potter’s Tavern which included articles critical of British rule and supportive of independence. The Revolutionary War had begun earlier in the year, and this hand-written newspaper, known as the “Plain Dealer,” called for open revolution months before the Declaration of Independence was drafted in Philadelphia.
The inside of the Greeting Room as you walk inside the tavern
Despite efforts by local British Loyalists to identify and prosecute the contributors to the “Plain Dealer,” none of the writers, who were anonymous, were ever discovered or arrested. Writings such as those found in the “Plain Dealer” were considered treasonous and those who wrote them could be punished with public execution.
The Potter family sword collection
At least thirteen editions of the “Plain Dealer” were produced, and today scholars attribute a portion of the success of the American Revolution to the creation of powerful communication among colonists through newspapers and leaflets like the “Plain Dealer.” By reaching out to one another, colonists built bonds of sympathy and unified and by reading about local acts of resistance and stories of suffering under British rule the colonists came to realize they were fighting for each other.
The Dubois Family Portraits of Adrian and Eleanor Dubois Burroughs Ogden
After the Revolutionary War concluded several of the writers of the “Plain Dealer” came forward and became leaders in the new nation of the United States of America. These included Joseph Bloomfield and Richard Howell, who served as governors of New Jersey.
The Tavern’s Kitchen and Hearth
Potter’s Tavern remained a tavern until around 1788 when it was converted into a two-family dwelling. It then is abandoned and nearly collapsed before being purchased by the City of Bridgeton in 1958. In the 1970’s it was placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and is now owned by the County of Cumberland and leased to the Cumberland County Historical Society. It is open on July 4th and other special occasions and by reservation. The only known surviving copies of the “Plain Dealer” are held in the Rare Book Collection of Rutgers University Library.
Hours: Seasonal Hours Sunday-Monday-Tuesday/Wednesday 10:00am-2:30pm/Thursday Closed/Friday 10:00am-2:30pm/Saturday Closed. Tours are at 10:00am and 12:00pm.
Admission: Donations Accepted/ (I paid $5.00 for the hour tour)
After three years of trying to visit the museum, I finally got on a last minute walking tour of the Museum of Cape May County and have to say that it was well worth the wait. What an interesting set of buildings that have a fascinating set of artifacts and so nicely displayed in a series of buildings.
The museum campus is broken up in a series of buildings on a two acre site. There is the main office which has an art exhibition, the family homestead of the family, who lived here for several generations, the carriage house which displays several carriages and stage coaches that were used in the area.
The back of the main house where you can see the three additions to the house
The barn where the Military, Native American and Farming displays are showcased
The Carriage House is to the left and the barn is to the right
The Carriage House on the property
The History of the House and of the Cape May County Museum site:
(from the museum website)
Housed in a building that dates back to 1704, the Cresse House, and its 1830 Holmes addition, as well as a historic 1780 barn and carriage house have rooms devoted to a subject or time that will hold you spellbound as you make your way through the past. The 11 room Cresse Holmes house treats you to a glimpse of life as it was in Cape May County from colonial to modern times. From the 1704 colonial kitchen and loft bedroom to the Victorian dining and sitting rooms all are decorated and furnished with period pieces. Special exhibit rooms include a children’s playroom teeming with toys, a doctor’s room with instruments, glassware and vials filled with a colorful array of pharmaceuticals and a Victorian music room with dozens of fascinating players and instruments (Cape May County Museum website).
Our first part of the tour was the family home which had been lived in for generations. The first part of the house was built in 1740 and you could tell by the open hearth and the flooring.
The hearth of the original section of the Cresse home
The kitchen was set up and furnished as the main part of the house. Because of the heat, this was the main part of the house that habituated. Here the family would gather, eat and socialize.
The back bedroom shows the families affluence in the late 1700’s
Having a separate room for sleeping was considered quite extravagant. The heat would circulated through the home and warmed this room next door. The main part of the house was built in 1840 in the Federalist design.
The main dining room showed the affluence of the Holmes family in the early pre-Civil war era
The main part of the house that faced the road was the 1840 Holmes family addition with the Federalist design. This part of the house was the main part house that was used for every day living and entertaining. The house was furnished in a combination of family heirlooms and donated period pieces..
The house well furnished with period pieces
The beautiful side table of the Dining Room
Both the Living Room, Dining Room and the Parlor were all tastefully furnished and what I thought were interesting parts of their collection. It was like someone had just left the room.
The Parlor of a Victorian house held its finest pieces
The furnishings in the Parlor
The painting of Henry Clay stood above the fireplace
Since I joined the tour late, I had seen just the first floor of the home before we continued on to see the rest of the building.
The front entrance room of the house
As we exited the house, we moved on to the most important room of the house, the outhouse which was located behind the main home.
The outhouse in the back of the home
We next moved on to one of the galleries of the Nautical collections.
The collection of nautical artifacts
Mantel’s for navigation
Items from the shipping industry
What beautiful items
Our next part of the tour was of the Carriage House and its collection of buggies and carriages owned by by local residents.
The Barn and Carriage exhibits:
(from the Cape May County Museum website)
Our barn is home to a maritime exhibit including Cape May County’s crown jewel, the original first-order Fresnel lens from Cape May Light House. In addition to our collection of farm implements the barn is also the site of our recently dedicated military room that pays homage to those who served our nation in time of war.
Period pieces range from the Revolutionary War to our country’s most recent involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of special interest is the American flag that was carried by soldiers who hailed from Cape May County during the Civil War. The flag survived numerous battles, including Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, Bull Run and was at Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. The Carriage Shed houses items related to transportation – a vintage horse-drawn market wagon, a doctor’s sulky and an early stagecoach that ran between Bridgeton and Pennsville (from the museum website).
The collection of carriages and buggies
A local buggy from a member of the community
The history of the Cape May Stagecoach
The Cape May Stagecoach
This stagecoach was used on the route between Bridgeton and Pennsville
The funeral cart used to transport bodies once people die to their last destination
The last building on the museum’s property housed military artifacts, farm equipment and artifacts from what would shape the local community
The Maritime History of Cape May and of the Museum:
(from the museum website)
Since its earliest days the area we now call Cape May County has been linked to the water. With the tumultuous Atlantic Ocean on one side, the Delaware Bay on the other and lush forest and field between it served its residents well. Early Native Americans thrived, whalers found whales in the ocean and refuge in the bay. All worked the shores and tributaries for birds and shellfish. As the population grew, shipbuilding and coastal trade took on greater importance. Come visit us and explore this aspect of our museum (from the museum website).
Many of the artifacts, photographs and manuscripts associated with maritime activities have found their way our museum collection. From the original first-order Fresnel lens that sat atop the Cape May light to whaling implements, marine skeletons, ship parts and Native American exhibits there is something for everyone. Of special interest is our recently acquired Cresse Journal, an original manuscript by Lewis Cresse detailing the life of a whaler in the mid-eighteenth century (from the museum website)
Hunting and military items from around the turn of the last century
Household and farming items
Artifacts from the Shipping industry
Artifacts from the Counties Ship Building past
Items from the Whaling Industry in Cape May
The museum also houses the original Cape May Lighthouse light
The history of burial and old cemeteries in Cape May
Old tombstones from Cape May cemeteries
The family cemetery on what was once the family farm that now sits down the road and across the street
The family plot
The museum’s extensive collection of arrowheads and other Native American artifacts
The Cape May Civil War flag is most of the most interesting pieces in the museum’s military collection
The Cape May Civil War flag
Military artifacts from the war years
The extensive collection of military uniforms from the different wars in the museum collection with ceremonial drums on display on the top of the case
The gun and pistol collection at the museum
The Pistol collection at the museum
The collection of military items in the collection
The early military collection at the museum
The grounds of the museum before I left for the day
The family home that faces the Highway
The museum is not just an extensive collection of City of Cape May but the history of the County as a whole and its rich development from a farming, whaling and shipping town to a major tourist hub and recreation community.
It also shows it has never lost it nautical or farming past as well as this legacy still carries on in Cape May. The development of the community and the progress it has made over the years is showcased in the galleries and buildings on the museum property.
The Development of the Cape May County Museum:
(from the museum website)
The Cape May County Historical & Genealogical Society (CMCHGS), doing business as The Museum of Cape May County, was founded in 1927 as a private, non-profit organization by a number of local families who wanted to ensure the history of Cape May County was preserved and documented. In 1930 the CMCHGS established a museum and genealogical library which were housed in the basement of the County Court House building for 45 years.
In 1976, the current facility, the Cresse-Holmes House containing eleven rooms along with a five-room barn was purchased to accommodate the growing collection. By 1988 the construction and dedication of the genealogical library and administrative offices had taken place. In the last 90 years, thanks to the generosity of many individuals and families with a connection to Cape May County. the collections have grown to contain many thousands of Cape May County artifacts and documents.
Today the museum and library are run by full time, part time and seasonal staff members along with an enthusiastic group of active volunteers to assist with greeting visitors, guiding tours, researching, assisting with programs, and staffing events.
The Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum is right on the lake
The museum sign inside the park
I recently visited the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum and learned so much from this lake community with its resort past and development from a artist colony to a hotel and amusement resort from the late 1880’s to WWII to the residential community it has become today. It really does show how transportation has shaped and developed vacation resorts not just in New Jersey but in the Metropolitan area.
The development of the railroad lines into the area bringing visitors from the large urban areas to the development of the automobile and it developed the hotel industry to modern jet travel which led to the decline of the area as a resort and becoming the lake community it is today, the museum guides you through the early history and the important visitors that became part of the community. While there are still traces of the old resort here and there, the rich history of the Lake Hopatcong shows us how time marches on in all places.
On the first floor is the Lenape Native American display and the description of the first residents of the area. There was all sorts of household and fishing items on display at the museum when Native Americans lived in this area in the warmer months.
The Lenape settlement in the Lake Hopatcong district
As the area settled and Dutch and English settlers pushed out the Native Americans, the area became settled with farmers and fisherman and with the opening of the Morris Canal as part of the lock system, a transportation head. The opening of the Morris Canal brought new business and new opportunities to the area.
The Morris Canal display at the museum and the development of the shipping industry in the area
The Morris Canal in its years of use
It was after the Civil War and the affluence of the Industrial Age transformed this area with the advent of the railroads passing through the community. Five day work weeks and weekends off for pleasure opened up this lake community first to boarding houses and then the building of luxury hotels for longer stays. Residents from the urban areas would come to the ‘country’ for fresh air, swimming and recreation.
The Hotel and Resort development of Lake Hopatcong
The development of the lake region for hotels
The hotel industry at Lake Hopatcong
The resort development signs
The advent of WWI
The aftermath of WWI
The growth of the resort community
The resort displays
With people staying at the resorts, they needed more to do than just swimming, boating and fishing. Families would arrive and from there was the development of the amusement industry. This would start with pleasure gardens, carousels and games which led to the creation of Noland’s Point and Bertrand Island Amusement parks. Noland’s would be the victim of the Depression as such a small area did not need two amusement parks and Bertrand Island would continue on until 1983 as times and tastes changed and investment was not put into the park. In its day though, it was a place of fun and merriment.
The history of Noland’s Point
Bertrand’s Island became the center of amusement and fun and the park remained a mainstay of the area for almost 100 years. With the building of bigger and more elaborate parks such as Great Adventure and the growth of shore communities, these inland smaller parks were bypassed by time. While still popular, they did not hold the attention of the Baby Boom and Gen X crowds who wanted new parks to visit. Still the memories of warm summer evenings and our first Miss America from New Jersey, Bette Cooper, the former Miss Bertrand’s Island, still hold true today.
The Bertrand Island Amusement Park display was the most interesting in the museum
Bertrand’s Island display
Prizes won at the park
Part of the rides and games at the park
Games and rides
The Miss Bertrand Island Beauty Contest
Miss Bertrand Island, Bette Cooper, Miss America 1937
The museum tells many interesting stories of the lake district and the displays are very detailed and interesting to read. There is a treasure trove of artifacts and historical items at the museum to admire and reminisce about for those who had visited in the past. The museum is a wonder book of a time between the wars before air travel changed everything that a trip to the lake region was a place for vacationing and for long days of relaxation.
Plan about two hours to really visit the museum and share in its rich history.
Mission Statement
(from the museum website)
Our mission is to collect, house and preserve artifacts and documents relating to the civil, political, social and general history of Lake Hopatcong and to encourage the education and dissemination of information about Lake Hopatcong’s history.
The historic plaque for the house
History of the Museum:
(from the museum website)
Since 1955, our organization has housed, cared for, and displayed items relating to the unique history of New Jersey’s largest lake. With some 750 members, it is one of the largest historical groups in the State of New Jersey. Our four major programs regularly sell out at 200 attendees and our museum has been recognized as one of the finest small museums in the state.
The front of the museum. This is the former Lock Keepers home
The concept for a historical organization at Lake Hopatcong took shape in spring of 1955 when an article in the Lake Hopatcong Breeze declared “It has been suggested that we have a museum at Lake Hopatcong to house the many interesting treasures pertaining to the history of our lake and vicinity….” The July issue reported much interest in the idea of a museum and the Lake Hopatcong Businessmen’s Association asked Alice Apostolik, editor of the Lake Hopatcong Breeze newspaper, to continue investigating the concept.
The front of the museum from the parking lot of the park
The interest fostered led to the formation of the Lake Hopatcong Historical Society on August 10, 1955. With eight people in attendance, an organizational meeting was held at Langdon Arms (where Gatwyn’s Restaurant is now located on Route 15). Dues were established at $2.00 per year with life membership set at $20.00. Langdon Arms was set as the society’s official headquarters, but it was agreed that the monthly meetings should be rotated to other areas of the lake, such as the Hopatcong House, a hotel formerly on Lakeside Boulevard in Hopatcong where The Liquor Factory’s building is now located.
Part of the lock equipment at the lake
The first regular meeting of the newly formed historical society was held in September 1955 at the Ehrlich’s “rathskeller,” which originally served as famed inventor Hudson Maxim’s observatory and ice house and is the small stone tower which still stands off Sharp’s Rock on the west shore of the lake. From the beginning, the goal was to establish a museum for the lake. In the late 1950’s, a group of members had dreams of buying Hudson Maxim’s house shortly before it was torn down. Alas, the plan to purchase the property for $11,000 failed by a single vote of the officers and trustees. In the early 1960’s, an effort was made to buy the old Landing Post Office building, an odd octagonal structure which once sat near the traffic light at Landing. This plan also failed and while the Lake Hopatcong Historical Society was an active organization during these early years, it would take some ten years from the organization’s founding before a suitable building could be located and agreement reached.
Artifacts and mementoes from the museum at the entrance
In the early 1960’s the State of New Jersey moved forward with plans for a new administration building at Hopatcong State Park. The park had been founded on land which was previously owned by the Morris Canal and Banking Company. When the canal was abandoned in the 1920’s, the 98 acres around the Lake Hopatcong dam were set aside as a state park. The Messinger family which had long operated the Morris Canal lock at this site, lived in the stone house just above the lock and dam. With the removal of the canal lock in 1924 and the construction of a modern dam, Rube Messinger became the first dam and park superintendent. He and his family continued to live in the same house. Following World War II, the park began to be more formally developed. Cottages along the lakefront were removed, the beach was greatly expanded, and a new entrance and parking lot were added. The old lock tender’s house was converted into an office for the state park, but as the popularity of the park grew, it became apparent that a larger and more modern building was needed for administration. In July 1963, plans were announced for the construction of a new $125,000 administration building.
The first floor gallery of famous residents and of the resorts
At first it appeared that the old lock tender’s house would be torn down. The Lake Hopatcong Historical Society swung into action to acquire use of the building for a museum. After a prolonged negotiation, agreement was finally reached on a lease with the State of New Jersey in the spring of 1965. Volunteers from the Lake Hopatcong Historical Society then gave the building the tender loving care it desperately needed and set about collecting memorabilia and artifacts from the community to fill their new building. On September 11, 1965, the dream of a museum at Lake Hopatcong was realized as the public was invited to an Open House celebration. Over the ensuing years, the museum collection has grown through wonderful donations and acquisitions so that it now totals over 11,000 images and several thousand other items of memorabilia.
The Bertrand Park display of the amusements on the lake
Before the museum opened, the Lake Hopatcong Historical Society held frequent meetings at local restaurants, hotels, and community rooms. There were also outings and trips for members. Once the museum opened, the organization began hosting many events in their new building. As the organization grew, outside venues were once again needed. In the early 1990’s the museum settled on four major programs per year with featured venues over the years including the Jefferson House, The Arlington, Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club, St. Jude’s Church, and the Palace Theatre. Programs started selling out in the late 1990’s and have continued their popularity since. One thing that has changed is the cost. Dinner programs in the early 1970’s were $6.00 per person!
The lake homes from the park
From the eight individuals who attended the first meeting in August 1955, the society had grown to some 150 members by the time the museum opened. Today, with some 750 members, the organization remains loyal to its mission “to collect, house and preserve artifacts and documents relating to the civil, political, social and general history of Lake Hopatcong and to encourage the education and dissemination of information about Lake Hopatcong’s history.”
Major Archival Topics
(from the museum website)
The Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum maintains collections on the following topics and individuals relating to Lake Hopatcong’s history:
Ans Decker & Decker Fishing Lures
Barnes Brothers Boats
Bertrand Island Park
Bertrand’s Park Amusement area
Bette Cooper, Miss America 1937
Miss Bette Cooper, Miss Bertrand Island and Miss America 1937
Breslin Park
Central Railroad of New Jersey
Cornelia Gilissen
Florence Morse Kingsley
Francis Himpler
Fred Jacoby & Jacoby Boat Works
Garret Hobart
George G. Green
Hopatcong
Hudson Maxim
Ice Houses & Harvesting
Joe Cook
Lackawanna Railroad
Lake Hopatcong Angler & Breeze Newspapers
Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club
The Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club
Lakeside Theatre
Landing
Lenape
The Lenape Display of life around the lake region
Loretta Montez
Lotta Crabtree (Miss Lotta)
The actress Lola Crabtree display
Morris Canal
Morris County Traction Company
Mount Arlington
Nolan’s Point
Nolan’s Point Amusement Park
The Noland’s Point Amusement Park
Northwood
Ogden Mine Railroad
Owen McGiveney
Palace Theatre, Netcong
P.J. Monahan, Illustrator
Rex Beach
River Styx
Sam Goodman, Lifeguard
Shanna Cumming
Shippenport
Skate Sailing Association of America Archives
Thomas Walsh
William J. Harris, Photographer
Woodport
The History of the LakeRegion:
(from the Museum pamphlet)
Located in a rustic 19th century building which served as a lock tender’s house on the Morris Canal, the Lake Hopatcong Historical Society Museum offers an entertaining and enlightening look at the history of New Jersey’s largest lake.
The beach section of this lake park
Step back to a time when the lake was actually two bodies of water and the Lenape lived along the shores. Learn about the building of the famous Morris Canal and the forming of modern day Lake Hopatcong, its main source of water.
Lake Hopatcong
The Morris Canal display at the museum
Travel back to the era when the Lake was a tourist Mecca and some 40 hotels and rooming houses graced its shores.
The hotel display
Relive the days when thousands flocked to Bertrand Island Amusement Park for dancing and ‘nickel nights’.
Bertrand Island Amusement Park
In the age before jets, before air conditioning and before super highways, Lake Hopatcong was a major northeast resort. Within easy reach of large cities to the east, the Lake’s size and setting at over 900 feet above sea level made it the perfect destination. From the 1880’s through the 1930’s, the Lake welcomed thousand each year, including leaders of government, industry and entertainment.
The history of the Hotel Breslin
Low daytime temperatures and cool evenings made Lake Hopatcong a welcome respite from the urban centers to the east. Although other northwestern New Jersey towns were developed as resorts during this time, Lake Hopatcong quickly outdistanced its rivals in popularity.
The popularity of Bertrand Island
While these other resorts shared Lake Hopatcong’s proximity to the urban centers of the East, they could not match the lake’s size or the ease with which to reach it by rail. The museum is located on the grounds of Hopatcong State Park on Landing, New Jersey. The museum’s hours are seasonal so please check the website for hours.
The museum and the grounds of the Randolph Museum, home to the Randolph Historical Society in Randolph, NJ
The sign that welcomes you to the park
The Randolph Museum is the old farmhouse of this once hundred acre farm
The museum’s gardens just outside the door
The side view of the museum from the street
I visited the Randolph Museum for the museum’s ‘Peach Festival’, where they had a very nice Open House and a series of tours around the house. We were greeted with a dish of fresh Jersey peaches, peach ice cream and pound cake. They also had peach punch for us as well with a warm welcome. The clouds broke and the sun came out so it started a very nice day at the museum.
The delicious Peach Shortcake we were served when we walked into the museum for the “Peach Festival”
Each room in the museum tells a story of rural life in Randolph, New Jersey from the era of the Dutch and English farmers through the era of farms developing into resorts and the growth of rural towns in New Jersey after WWII, automobile transportation and the rise of middle class suburban living.
This description of life in Randolph, New Jersey is a reflection of life all over the rural United States
The museum is broken down in different themed rooms. When you first enter the house, you can see the history of Randolph as a resort town. The growth of the farms as boarding houses developed in resorts catering to Jewish patrons who were banned from the Catskills and Hamptons. These resorts continued until after the war until transportation and religious laws changed after WWII.
The resort artifacts from the old hotels
The old Lieberman’s Hotel once catered to a large Jewish crowd from Newark, Jersey City and New York City
Items from the old hotels
The hotel industry flourished here until just after WWII when air travel opened other options and racial and religious barriers broke down after the war. All of these hotels have since been torn down and have now been replaced by other town buildings. The town is more suburban with the opening of the Garden State Parkway and Route 287.
The Brundage House history
The museum’s history in the Brundage Farmhouse started in the late 1700’s when the Trowbridge moved to this area from England and started farming here. Generations farmed this land and the house stayed in the family until the 1920’s. The museum moved here in 2005 when the last member of the family moved out and the farmland was donated to the town. The farmhouse became home to the Historical Society.
The museum’s rooms in the old farmhouse have different aspects of life in Randolph and New Jersey in general and each tells a story of the town’s history. The first room was dedicated to education and the growth of the school system in this part of Randolph.
The displays show how a classroom was set up and how the one room school houses of that period of time operated.
The old schoolrooms have not changed much from today’s classrooms
The exhibition showed that education in New Jersey has not changed that much from the years as a farming community. From the classroom set up to the way summer break works, which was created because of the crops being attended to in the summer and fall months. Children of all ages were expected to work on the farm and education did not go as far as it does today.
The timeline tree of important dates in the town is in the schoolroom exhibit
In the next room was the history of the farming community in Randolph, New Jersey. From fruits to dairy everything was farmed in Randolph and the farms were sustainable communities.
The Apple industry in this part of the State’s crops and still is today but not like back then
The Dairy industry flourished in rural New Jersey as it does today. Milking cows and creating butter, cream and milk were the whole family’s responsibility.
The Ice Industry flourished because of the lakes in the area
The Ice Industry was also very important in the area. Ice from the lakes was tested for thickness and then measured and cut for use of ice boxes. The ice would have to be planned for smoothness and then covered and stored for sale. The advent of modern electric refrigeration after WWII made this obsolete.
The Ice Industry and the equipment used for the business
The equipment used on the farm
Farm equipment in the early years was used by hand until more updated equipment with horses as crop processes went from supplying just the family to selling it on the open market and more production was needed. These crops were sold in Newark, NJ and New York City.
The Blacksmith shop equipment
The Blacksmiths role was from everything from shoeing horses and donkeys to producing equipment for the farms. To this day some form of this is still being done.
The Blacksmith shop
This exhibition was on the Blacksmith shop and the making of early farm equipment.
Early farm and Blacksmith equipment
Early equipment for the mines
The Iron Mining industry was also part of the development of this area
Large deposits of iron ore and coal were discovered in this area. This led to the development of New Jersey’s place in the Mining industry. This supplied our war efforts and the manufacturing industries in New Jersey. As the mines emptied of ore, it became cost prohibited to continue and the last of the mines closed after WWI.
The equipment from the blacksmiths operation used in the mines
The Mining Display in the museum you can enter by way of a curtain
Home life for families in New Jersey between the mines and the farms was hard as well. The farms needed tending to which was everyone’s job including children aged five and up. All hands were needed and this is how the modern summer vacation from school was developed. It coordinated with the tending of the crops.
The main gallery of the museum and the former Living Room of the farmhouse:
The former Living Room of the old farmhouse shows life on the farm
Home life in rural New Jersey was not easy before Industrialization
Household items and furnishings
Beds, sewing machines and bathing items in the farm home
Items used in the home to everything from making clothes and shoes to home remedies
The kitchen was the center of family life as it was the warmest room in the house during cooler months
The kitchen and household equipment on the farm
The hearth was the center of cooking and socialization on the farm
Life on the farm was not all work as there was down time for parents to socialize and children to play. Since transportation was limited and time was of the essence with everything that needed to be done on the farm things like trips to the general store, church services and town meetings were the biggest part of socialization. Meals were eaten as a family and family conversation was at the dinner table.
Toys and games used in rural New Jersey
Toys of this era have not changed much to today except they are not made of wood or handmade
A trip to the General Store was a chance to shop, pick up mail and socialize with your neighbors
Church was an important part of rural life before WWI
Kitchen items for tending the home
The museum did a nice job not just explaining the development of the Town of Randolph, NJ but society as a whole and how the American lifestyle was developed. In our modern times, we still refer back to references of these times with habits, quotes and sayings like ‘sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite’ and ‘pop goes the weasel’ and ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’. These hark back to our rural past.
In someway, we have progressed with modern equipment and machines (think of how our I Phones have changed everything in the last sixteen years) to others where we still bake and preserve food, cook ‘farm to table’ meals and attend our gardens. The museum shows us how life has progressed but habits and methods that worked then still work now. We have not changed that much but more adapted to modern times. This wonderful little museum gives us this glimpse into our past.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 